“Was it a stray cat?”
Litt glanced at the slanting side of the roof, feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
Especially just now… that person who had been tailing her—didn’t they leak a hint of killing intent?
This was getting a little too delicate.
Litt’s expression didn’t change, but her mind was racing, especially as she pondered just who that killing intent had been aimed at.
If it was only surveillance, there was no way they’d reveal killing intent—unless she’d misjudged.
But as a Battle Nun of the Tribunal, misjudgment was out of the question.
Then, who was that killing intent for?
Red?
Or herself?
Staying vigilant, Litt followed beside Red as they headed home.
Under the warm yellow light, the clatter of dishes rang clear.
Litt carefully wiped the bowls and chopsticks, glancing at Red as she asked casually.
“Red, how are preparations for opening the shop going? All smooth?”
“More or less done, but I haven’t picked a date yet. Why?”
Red was a bit surprised by Litt’s question.
“Actually, I was wondering…”
She drew a deep breath, as if gathering courage, then lifted her moist blue eyes to Red, looking a little shy and hopeful.
“If… if your shop opens, can I… can I work there with you?”
“Pfft—cough, cough, cough!”
Red nearly choked on his own saliva, setting the plate down abruptly as if he’d just heard something unbelievable.
“No, no, no, Litt, you clearly have way better jobs than working at my little shop, right?”
Red was honestly worried; if Litt really came to work for him, the Pope of the White Church might barge in and demand an explanation.
After all, her status in the White Church wasn’t low—how could his tiny, shabby shop possibly accommodate such a bigshot?
“And think about it, you’re just starting out, business probably won’t be that great at first, what if I can’t even pay you?”
Of course, not being able to pay was out of the question—Red didn’t know exactly how much money a Blood Spider Hunter made, but judging from Otto’s instructions, the profits couldn’t be that low.
“At the very least, I’ll need my little shop to have a steady footing, start turning a stable profit—now’s really not the time.”
Before Red could finish, Litt spoke up, her face reddening as she turned away, a little embarrassed.
“But… but… isn’t it more meaningful for two people to start from scratch together, working hard side by side?”
She finished, then looked up at Red with clear, shining eyes.
Red, after several steadying breaths, turned away and clutched his chest.
This expression, these words… damn, isn’t this cheating?
“If I need help, I’ll call you.”
Still, Red didn’t agree to Litt’s request, opting instead for a tactful refusal.
He was afraid he might fall in too deep.
“Mm! It’s a promise then!”
Even so, Litt flashed a bright, overjoyed smile, looking completely satisfied.
After tidying up the table, the two took a quick bath and each returned to their rooms.
Litt lay on her bed, recalling the words she’d just said in the living room, and her little face blushed bright red again.
Then she buried herself deep under the covers, wrapping herself up tightly so not even a breeze could get in.
But once she was fully hidden, her hand drifted to her face, and a mischievous grin crept onto her lips.
At the same time, on the large tree outside facing Litt’s window, Molly lowered her binoculars with a blank expression.
After a whole day of surveillance, she still couldn’t see through Litt’s true identity.
Something was very off.
By all rights, there should be something hidden about her.
If she were just a regular White Church nun, then there’d definitely be files about her.
But… there weren’t any.
A whole day of observation, a whole day of investigation—she couldn’t find a single flaw in Litt’s records.
Should she sneak into the room and check?
Maybe there was something hidden, unknown to all.
Just as Molly was about to move inside, a sudden chill wrapped her entire body.
It was as if countless spears had pierced through her—at that moment, Molly felt like her breathing might just stop.
But the cold vanished as quickly as it came, and when Molly regained control of her body, she found her back was already soaked through.
“What the hell…”
Molly couldn’t believe it.
“Where did that killing intent come from just now?”
She struggled to catch her breath, eyes darting around in search.
No matter how she searched, she couldn’t find the source of that killing intent.
Looking at the bulging blanket in the bedroom, Litt was still there, but Molly had already lost the chance to make a move.
And at that moment, Molly had a hunch—if she stayed here any longer…
…she’d die.
Could it be those people secretly protecting Litt?
As expected… this person’s position in the White Church was anything but ordinary.
Though unwilling, Molly hurriedly left.
Once Molly was gone, Letia stepped out from the shadows.
“So, she’s not one of Litt’s people.”
She’d snuggled into the bed earlier to create a false impression, making Molly think she was still in the bedroom.
But in fact, now the blanket was nothing but an empty shell.
After setting up the decoy, Letia had slipped into the shadows, watching Molly from hiding.
Releasing killing intent had just been a way to test Molly’s intentions—since Molly chose to flee rather than stick around and protect anyone, it proved she wasn’t working for Litt.
It seemed there really were quite a few people interested in causing trouble for “Litt”.
As for where Litt’s own people were…
Letia narrowed her eyes, looking off into the distance.
There stood the Great Clock Tower of Nightbright Town.
From start to finish, a subtler, more hidden gaze had lingered, watching from there.
It carried no hostility.
But who it was, Letia did not know.
***
The next morning, sunlight streamed into the headquarters of Dawn’s Edge.
Letia was finally returning to Dawn’s Edge headquarters for a visit.
After all, Liz had told her personally that she had to come back, saying there was something big going on.
But whether it was really something important, Letia wasn’t sure.
Other people were always turning big problems into small ones, small problems into nothing; Liz, on the other hand, would call a meeting over nothing, make a small issue into a big one, and if it really was big—then everyone was in for a scolding.
“Good morning~”
Letia pushed open the door and walked in.
Liz, Bethany, and Jessica were already seated.
Letia took her original seat.
“Everyone’s finally here,” Liz said slowly.
“But Letia, you’re five minutes late. There are three people here waiting for you. That’s fifteen minutes you’ve wasted in total.”
“Well, I’m so sorry.”
Letia acted like she didn’t care at all, even thinking of slumping in her chair.
“So, dear Captain, what did you call us here for?”
Seeing Letia like this, Liz could only sigh.
Getting angry at this layabout was pointless.
But before Liz could speak, the door to Dawn’s Edge headquarters was pushed open again.
Mason and Monica entered.
“Now that everyone’s here, Mason, if you’ve got something to say, just say it.”
In truth, this morning meeting hadn’t been called by Liz, but by Mason, who’d asked Liz to gather everyone so he could discuss something very important.
“Mm,” Mason put on his trademark warm smile.
“Before we get down to business, I want to ask: what do you all think of Red?”
At that, everyone but Letia fell silent.
And such a direct question made Letia instinctively glance at Liz.
She’d expected an outburst, but Liz remained so calm.
“I have nothing to say.”
Liz shook her head coldly.
“He… er… his ability’s pretty good, and his personality is… very honest,” Bethany answered, a bit hesitant.
“A wonderful steward. If possible, I hope he’ll come back,” Jessica, as always, was straightforward.
After those three answered, everyone’s gaze landed on Letia.
She answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Stockings. Loli. Obsessed.”
The room fell silent.
No one could argue with that summary.
“I’ve learned more about Red over the past few days myself,” Mason began slowly.
“Putting personality aside, Red’s potential in creation magic… far exceeds any of our expectations. The Sunmoon Empire desperately needs this kind of power.”
Hearing this, even as hard as Liz tried to keep calm, she couldn’t help but clench her fists.
She hated to admit it, but…
After leaving Dawn’s Edge, Red seemed to have shed invisible chains.
The brilliance he showed in creation magic now drew everyone’s eyes.
He was slowly changing for the better.
So much so that Liz felt he’d become a little unfamiliar.
Especially when she’d watched him leave with Litt—that image lingered in Liz’s mind, stirring countless thoughts.
Facing Litt, that heartfelt smile—had he ever shown it at Dawn’s Edge?
Probably not…
At Dawn’s Edge, he was always working, or on his way to work.
Once in the dungeons, he’d turn serious and focused, a smile nowhere to be seen.
What was worse, now she wanted to work hard, to prove to Red that she was changing, too.
But… he didn’t seem to care anymore.
At that thought, Liz’s clenched fist suddenly went limp, falling weakly to her side.
What a pile of misunderstandings